EFFECT OF SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION TRAINING ON BALANCE, NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL AND REACTION TIME IN ELDERLY.

Abstract

Background: SMT (sensorimotor training) is a form of exercise aiming to decrease the muscle imbalance by maximizing the sensory input coming from three sites in the body where there is a large number of propioception(the foot, sacroiliac joint ,cervical spine).The purpose of study is to check the effect of SMT on neuromuscular control, balance and reaction time using three levels i.e. stable surface , unstable surface and sand in elderly population. Method:The study was an experimental study with a sample size of 30 elderly subjects of age group 60-80 years. They had performed exercises in st three levels 1 in stable then foam then sand. They were assessed using SOT test, test for neuromuscular control and reaction time. Conclusion: The study shows that the sensorimotor training which is given in three levels i.e., in stable surface , foam and sand are effective in improving balance, increasing neuromuscular control and decreasing reaction time in elderly for decreasing risk of fall and improving quality of life in elderly.